Monday, February 22, 2010

Author, photographer, and Tulane professor William Brumfield’s papers are in the process of being assembled as our Manuscripts Collection 709. The collection got its start with the typescript and galleys, with color and black and white printed photographs, created in preparation for the 1983 publication of Gold in Azure : One Thousand Years of Russian Architecture. Several other items from that era are in the processed collection in our stacks. Over the last few months, Professor Brumfield has begun to contribute more material to the collection, such as the complete set of Kennan Institute annual reports since 1989, as that publication has liberally published his photographs almost exclusively in every issue.

Archival collections of personal and professional papers are usually the by-product of a person’s life. Often, these valuable items have been held together by relatives or other collectors, and then donated to, or purchased by, a library or other repository. But those scholars, public figures, writers and artists who intentionally gather their own papers for the benefit of future researchers, and donate them for safe-keeping to a specific repository, are a real boon to the preservation of our cultural heritage. At Tulane’s Special Collections, we greatly appreciate the generosity, enthusiasm and foresight of our self-archiving donors, including such notable individuals as Lindy Boggs, Art Silverman, Mignon Faget, Phyllis Hudson, LaVerne “Pike” Thomas, Catharine Brosman, Joel Fletcher, Bert Myers, Joel Grossman Myers, Joel Fletcher and William Brumfield.

Captions: Left: Trinity Cathedral and bell tower, with Pskova River in foreground. Pskov. Photograph taken August 2009, and published in 2008-2009 annual report of the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Bottom: architectural detail of 1674 Church of the Dormition, Varzuga (Murmansk Region), Photograph taken July 20, 2001. Both photographs by William Brumfield, and were selected by him for this post.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

We have so many things to celebrate in New Orleans! The Saints Super Bowl victory was savored yesterday in the form of an elaborate and phenomenal heroes’ parade, the first of its kind, being called “Lombardi Gras” and “Dat Tuesday.”

We’re happy to note another award—Filmmaker Joe Sanford’s documentary, John Kennedy Toole: the Omega Point, recently won the Rising Star Award for Excellence in Film at the 2010 Canada International Film Festival. See the blog post dated Feb. 9, 2010, in Butterfly in the Typewriter: The Brilliant and Tragic Life of John Kennedy Toole, with further details and accolades. Congratulations to Joe Sanford and his associates in the process of creating this documentary, especially our friends Cory MacLauchlin, and Joel Fletcher, both featured in interviews in the film. We look forward to a local screening before long.Posted by Susanna Powers

Friday, February 5, 2010

Today at the Special Collections library, we're all decked out in black and gold, and anticipating what promises to be one of the most exciting weekends in New Orleans' history.

This image comes from the reverse side of the 1968 card we featured right after the Saints won the NFC championship. Pictured is Tulane Stadium, where the Saints played prior to construction of the Super Dome. Tulane Stadium was also known as the Sugar Bowl, since it was the home of the Sugar Bowl annual college football game until 1974. It was the site of three Super Bowl games, in 1970, 1972 and 1975. The stadium was built in 1926, and demolished between 1979-1980.

Have a great weekend everybody! Go Saints!

Posted by Eira Tansey.

(Please click the image to enlarge. Image from the Louisiana Research Collection vertical files, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University Libraries. Image may not be reproduced without permission, unless you are the NFL and need to have words with us. WHO DAT!!)

Thursday, February 4, 2010

This is the third post in our continuing series of Saints ephemera, leading up to the Saints appearance in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The Saints first season was played at Tulane Stadium (also known as the Sugar Bowl, due to its use for Sugar Bowl games). The team played there until relocating to the Superdome in 1974.

Trumpeter Al Hirt, who was a minority owner of the team, is pictured at the top of the reprinted schedule.

The Saints lost their first regular season game against the Los Angeles Rams, and the season record was 3-11.

We'll be featuring one last piece of ephemera tomorrow, before the big game. If you missed the first two posts, you can find them here and here.

I know most fans will be saving all their Saints ephemera from this historic season - but keep us in mind and get in touch if you have duplicates of tickets, programs, flyers, or other items. We'd love to preserve them in the vertical files.

Posted by Eira Tansey.

(Please click the image to enlarge. Image from the Louisiana Research Collection vertical files, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University Libraries. Image may not be reproduced without permission, unless you are the NFL and need to have words with us. WHO DAT!!)